My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Some parting words of wisdom ---

Most of the girls on this site are planners, which is great, but as you do things, make sure you print them and finish them. Don’t leave too much for the last month because that’s when everything starts getting crazy and busy and you don’t want to be printing your programs the week of the wedding!

People who RSVP yes will cancel for a variety of reasons before the wedding. Count on it and if possible lower your final count for the RH a few just in case. You can always add them in that day if everyone does show up!

Type up a list of what is in the boxes you drop off to the RH with instructions on where everything goes. It’s easier for you at drop off so you don’t have to spend time explaining it to the person taking the boxes and it’s easier for the staff when they are setting up the day of so they don’t have as many questions for you as you are getting ready.

Everything that you drop off at the RH must come home with you. Usually that night! Make plans for it with the RH to take home the next day if possible, or just make sure that you have enough room in the transportation you arranged for any the wedding.


I rated everyone using this scale:
A+= exceptional from start to finish highly recommended
A= did a great job, no issues
B= did a good job, had a few issues
C= didn’t do a great job, had some issues
D= had major issues, wouldn’t recommend
F= run away screaming from this vendor!


LI Weddings.com A-
I found this site while searching for wedding related things and was immediately obsessed with all of the great advice that everyone shared and the many many ideas that I got from other girls on the site. I don’t know how I would have planned my wedding without LIWeddings.com and I definitely plan to continue to stay on the site to pass on what I’ve learned to the new brides out there… The one thing that I don’t care for about the site it that the reviews are somewhat censored and it’s hard to get real feedback when people have issues with LIW Vendors, or even non-LI Vendors because posts tend to disappear. It would be awesome to read more about problems people have so that way we know to ask questions to prevent them in the future.

DOC – Cheeky Glam Events A+++++
I am a very organized and anal person, especially when it came to planning my wedding so I wasn’t sure if I really needed to hire a Day of Coordinator. I did a little research and my mom convinced me that it was worth looking into so I didn’t have to bother any of my BM’s with the responsibility of making sure things were done correctly or fixing problems for me and I definitely didn’t want to be the one to have to worry about those things on my big day, even though the RH offered a bridal attendant that would be there to help me out. I met with Heather and Jamie of Cheeky Glam with a long list of questions on what they could do for me that day and I also went to the meeting looking to see what they would offer so I could see for myself if they were worth it. Not only did they answer my questions, without having me ask them to them directly, but they also showed me other things that their service provided that I wasn’t even thinking of. I booked with them on the spot for 12 hours and didn’t look back and now that the wedding is over I seriously don’t know what I would have done without their help that day. Even though I did the planning on my own, Cheeky Glam helped everything come together smoothly and effortlessly so that I didn’t have to think or worry about a single thing that day.

Prior to the wedding, they helped me book some vendors that I didn’t finalize yet and even provided help with negotiations and pricing advice. They checked in with me often to make sure I was doing OK throughout the planning process and asked if I needed any help, despite the face that I only booked them to help me on the wedding day and nothing else. Cheeky put together a solid, realistic timeline for the big day that made a lot more sense than what I thought was the timeline for the day and even gave me a tipping guideline sheet so I didn’t have to figure out how much to give each of my vendors at the end of the wedding. My fabulous DOC's took copies of the contracts for my vendors and confirmed with them a week prior to the wedding the time of arrival and the services we were getting with each vendor to make sure everything would be set for the big day.

Heather and Jamie came to the hotel to help me get ready and helped me bustle my gown, which is actually really hard to do for someone who doesn’t do this on a regular basis!! They made sure my must take pictures were taken and made sure we were out the door on time for the church. Once we were all set in church, and they calmed me down from my crying outbreak right before I walked down the aisle and fixed my makeup, the ladies made sure that everyone had tissues before we began and placed them in the pews for the Mom’s and BP. Jamie even explained to my dad how to place the blusher when he lifted it at the end of the aisle since it’s very easy for it to get stuck and just lay at the top of the bride’s head without being flattened out and who wants to be looking at pictures with a poofy blusher on your head? I would have never even thought to tell my dad this!! After they set me up to walk down the aisle, the girls ran to pick up my Groom’s cake at the bakery for me and were back in time to figure out that I needed batteries for my bubble guns and went out to get them too!! Then they organized the receiving line and kept it moving so we could do pictures before we went over to the reception hall.

We started pictures when we got to the WCC and Cheeky went to go make sure that everything was in order and things were set up as I requested. The MD had a few questions for me about things that they were able to handle for me. They only bothered me for important things, which helped a lot so we could get all the pictures in before the CH. During the CH we had some food in the bridal suite and the girls helped me fix my hair and makeup before I went out to the crowd. As that was happening, the groom noticed that WCC didn’t have his bacon wrapped scallops out with the other food yes, which was written clearly on the contract. The bridal attendant overheard it and told us they didn’t make them and I explained there would be a big problem if they didn’t have them since it was the first question we asked when we visited the RH’s during the planning and they assured us it would be done and the BM even confirmed them during our final meeting. In swoops Cheeky Glam to handle the situation with the MD and the chef at the WCC so I didn’t have to get upset or aggravated about it and we had the scallops to us during the CH.

Cheeky helped get everyone organized for the intros and made sure everything ran smoothly. While we were partying away, the ladies helped me out by attaching the favor tags to my favor bags. I wasn’t able to do this earlier because I didn’t receive them before I had to drop my boxes off at the RH so Cheeky graciously told me that they would do this that night.

I gave the DOC’s a list of all the tips I set up in envelopes and some final payments and they took care of them for me at the end of the night, which was another huge time saver, especially since time flew by that evening and I still didn’t get to talk to everyone that came to the wedding!

At the end of the night Cheeky packed up all of the boxes with the decorations from the RH and all our personal belongings and took them back to the hotel room for us, while we stayed for the VH. It was awesome to be able to leave there without worrying about how the 15 boxes were coming back with me, while I was in my wedding gown and how they would get upstairs from the car.

The most important part of my review of Cheeky was not on the day of my wedding, but it actually came after the wedding. As incredible as they were at the wedding, Cheeky Glam Events continued to work for me until about 4 weeks after my wedding to fix some very serious issues I had with my DJ that night. I expressed my frustration with the poor service I got from the DJ that I got that evening with the DJ, but also with Cheeky and the MD at the RH during my VH and they told me to enjoy the rest of the evening and that they would help me handle the problems the next day. I was in contact with Cheeky the next day before I left for my HM and explained everything that went wrong and how upset I was that I would have to relive the mess ups every time I watched my expensive wedding video in years to come and they worked to correct the problem with the DJ company. It was not easy getting in touch with the owner and then went through tons of back and forth with the company and they were able to resolve the problem without me having to go in to the office and get stressed out and even more upset over what happened. I cannot tell you how much time and energy they saved me and made me sooooo happy. They went above and beyond what I was expecting them to do for me before, during and especially after my wedding day and for that I am eternally grateful to them for their service and do not know what I would have done without them!!!

Name Plaque – My Sweet Memories A
My DOC contract included a free name plaque from Channa at My Sweet Memories. I went to her website and emailed her a few ideas for color and size and she sent back some digital pictures. I wasn’t 100% sure so I asked her to change a few things and she sent back 6 more samples and I was able to pick from there. She was easy to work with through the DOCs and the plaque came out gorgeous!!! I emailed her about making a memory picture plaque after I got my name plaque, but I ended up making my own before we had too many pictures to include. I would definitely use her in the future and the plaques make great gifts!




Reception Hall – Woodbury Country Club A
Woodbury did an awesome job at the wedding. The food was delicious and the service was amazing. We originally booked with Jeff and then in October we found out that he left and we were assigned. Jeff was awesome and we really clicked when we met him and I was really upset when I found out that he left, but Carolyn was able to help us in the end and she was helpful because she was realistic with us and told us how it really was when we asked questions. The MD Jake was incredible and was a pleasure to work with from the time we arrived until the time we went home. He was nice and funny and professional and everything was perfect. The food at the cocktail hour looked great and the martini luge was a big hit. The bartender made me a special clear fruity martini to make sure I didn’t stain my dress, which I thought was very thoughtful of him! The bridal attendant Linda was really nice and helpful. She helped me go to the bathroom a few times and made sure I always had something to drink in my hand and informed me when everything was served during the reception so I knew that it was time to eat. About 15 minutes before the cocktail hour was over she grabbed me and DH to take us back to our bridal suite and had drinks and tons of plates of hot food waiting for us to enjoy and let us sit in the room alone for a few minutes before the party got started. This was awesome to sit and relax, eat and drink just the two of us before everything started. The one thing we really wanted during the CH that they didn’t have is the grilled cheese with tomato soup shots – we were told it would be there but they weren’t and they are so good so def request those!!

We took pictures outside in the back since the grounds are really beautiful. Since it was January we had to rush before the light went away and we probably didn’t get in as many pretty pictures all over because of that, but I was very happy with the ones we took. We couldn’t get any fountain pictures in since it wasn’t on, but it’s the price we paid for a wedding, but definitely don’t hold that against the WCC and knew that there was a chance it wouldn’t be on anyway.

The menu--- We chose the Maryland Crab Cake served with Sauce Remoulade, accompanied by a Field Green salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing for the
appetizer duet to maximize the dance time and everyone enjoyed that. For the main course, guests had a choice of Grilled Shell Steak with Port wine and mushroom sauce that was HUGE and people couldn’t believe the size of the meat, Chicken Madeira
sautéed and topped with asparagus and Gruyere cheese in light Madeira sauce, Herb Crusted Salmon with fresh Dill Sauce, Shrimp Oreganata and the Chef’s Vegetarian Dish. For dessert we served wedding cake and then afterwards we had the Signature Viennese Display in the After Dinner Lounge in the cocktail hour room with Coffee, Tea & Cordials in addition to the open bar. The After Hour Lounge was amazing and they set up all of their white furniture, in addition to having CH tables for people to sit and enjoy, plus they had the white dance floor in the middle to keep the party going. Unfortunately, my after hour lounge didn’t turn out as planned because the DJ didn’t announce it and people left early, and then the DJ didn’t play good dance music as requested and made it into a mellow type of party. Other than that everyone could not stop raving about the Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches and the Flambé and all the other stations they had at the VH.




Rehearsal Dinner at King Umberto’s in Elmont – A+
This was the location of our first date. My fiancé has been going here for years and the food is amazing and the service is great!!! We had about 40 people for dinner and they set us up in the private room in the front of the restaurant with tables of 8. This was really nice because people could mingle and we were able to do toasts and gifts in private. The one thing that was weird was in the beginning no one knew where to sit and then people randomly sat and people who should have sat together didn’t get to sit together so I do recommend either someone taking charge to tell everyone where to sit, or to put out place cards. I know it’s an informal dinner, but it would have helped with such a large group of people.

We had a champagne toast and wine, beer and soda, with waiter service for those who wanted something from the bar. We started with four appetizers (calamari, clams, fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and capellini). We thought the apps would be on the table for people to share, but they served each choice on everyone’s plate, which was awesome. We skipped the salad and had a pasta course and then dinner was a choice of 5 entrees: Steak Pizzaiola, Chicken Parmesan, Veal Marsalla, Filet of Sole Oregenatta and Eggplant Parmesan. Dessert was mini cannolis and Italian cookies with coffee, tea and cappuccinos. We had a few waiters serving us and everything was really well done. The soda and wine was on the tables, which helped for refills, and they paid attention to the beer and liquor drinkers so they didn’t wait long for another drink. We will definitely be having more parties here in the future!!



Rehearsal Dinner Favors – Sweetness by Lauren A+
The favors were vanilla bean cupcakes with sparkly snowflake sprinkles in individual clear boxes made by ‘Sweetness by Lauren.’ The boxes were placed on the table by the centerpieces for everyone to take home...They were beautiful and to die for!!

Rehearsal Dinner Gifts – A
BM’s - Personalized sweatshirts with their names on the front, Tiffany necklace, Vera Bradley Makeup Bag and Navy Shawls to keep warm from Lord & Taylor

GM’s - Personalized jerseys from their favorite teams and 2 personalized pilsner glasses

Parents - Parent Albums & an 8x10 Waterford Lismore Picture Frame

Gift Givers and Readers - 8x10 Waterford Crossroads Picture Frame



Night before Dinner -- Cirella's Restaurant in Melville A
We had a few people staying at the hotel the night before so we went to dinner at Cirellas, which was a mile down the road from the hotel. We made a reservation for 20 people and arrived on time, but we still had to wait about 15 minutes in the bar area since it was crowded and they were a little behind. The food was delicious and the portions were huge!! They did not have a private room, but definitely recommend this place for some good affordable Italian food!! We ordered 3 appetizer samplers for the table with eggplant, clams, shrimp, calamari and other stuff and I think that 1 would have been good for everyone! Then the portions for dinner were so big no one finished them and of course since we were at the hotel, we couldn’t take them home.

LM Card Designs – A+
Lauren is a doll to work with and is my go to girl for all of my invitation needs. She is very reliable and reasonably priced and I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage of some of her sales throughout the wedding planning process! Lauren listens to what you want and then goes to work designing a few samples to see what you like. If she doesn’t nail it, she goes back and fixes it until it’s perfect!! She works via email and answers in a timely fashion and doesn’t keep you hanging for an answer. I used her for my Thank You Notes, Engagement Party Invites, Snowflake Die Cut Save the Dates, Rehearsal Dinner Invites and Personalized Bridal Party Thank You Cards. I would have used her for my Wedding Invitations, but she doesn’t work with pockets and I had my heart set on them. Pictures are in mu album!



My Dress – Maggie Sotero Primavera B+
I loved my dress, but the material on the bottom made it difficult to bustle and it was really poofy and big on the bottom so it was hard to dance in it… other than that I loved it!! Looking back at the pictures, it definitely seemed bigger on than when someone looks at it.



Bridesmaid Dresses – Impressions (Various) A
I went shopping with my MOH for her dress and then planned on letting the BM’s pick their style dress once we found the designer and material. Each girl had a different dress that fit her body type and personality, which was nice. We decided on Cornflower Blue in Satin for all of the girls and the MOH would be the only one with some bling and an Indigo sash. We found the Impressions dresses to have the most variety and fit that we liked and the dresses. The measurements run a little smaller than true bridesmaid dress size so make sure you order up! Other piece of information, Da Vinci is the same company as Impressions and one of my girls ordered their dress from that designer and the color and material was identical!


MOB Dress – Rina di Montella (1209) A
My mom’s dress was gorgeous!! It was Navy Iridescent Taffeta and came with a bolero jacket and a shawl, which was great for the winter temperatures!! We searched all over for my mom’s dress, but once she found this designer, we couldn’t even look at the other dresses because we loved the quality and the style of the Rina’s. The dress was only available in Yellow so we were hesitant to try it on, but with a little imagination, we thought that it would look amazing for the winter wonderland theme in Navy and took a chance and couldn’t have been happier.

MOG Dress - Junnie Leigh 1200 A
My MIL went all over for dresses and finally found this one, but it wasn’t blingy enough. She was able to swap out the black crystals on the dress for white ones and it made a HUGE difference. The dress was very big and required a lot of alterations, but came out beautiful in the end!



Tuxedos – Men’s Warehouse B

We chose Men’s Warehouse since they have so many locations and we had people in the BP from different states so it was easy to order the tuxes and have the guys go it to get measured and pick them up at their own convenience. We went to the one in Stony Brook to pick out the styles and my DH got measured in Westbury, but the Red Robin across from the Roosevelt Field mall. There were a limited amount of colors that matched the BM dresses so we didn’t have a lot of choice when we picked out the tuxes, but I was happy with the way the colors popped in the pictures. My dad picked up his tux in Brooklyn and had issues because the jacket and pants needed to be re-tailored, but they were able to do it in the store that day. The tux he received had been tailored prior to this and you could tell, but they were able to fix it right there and I couldn’t notice on the wedding day. My FIL’s tux came with the wrong size vest and also needed alterations on the pants. They did the alterations there, but he needed to go back the next morning to get the right size vest. It was a little annoying, but everyone looked good at the end.

My DOJ – Charter Club from Macys B
I tried on a lot of earrings and necklaces and stumbled upon this during a sale at Macys. The earrings were a perfect length and the necklace matched my dress so they were perfect and the price was right! The only complaint is that they are a little cheap and the necklace chain came apart when I took the tags off, but I was able to fix the link with no issues.

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Mom and MOH DOJ – Swarovski A
Looked gorgeous in the pictures and made very well. A little pricey, but beautiful!

Headpiece- Bridal Styles Boutique – A
I searched online and in stores for a hairpiece but never found anything I loved. I didn’t really want a tiara and thought that a comb would be enough bling for my curls. We finally made an appt at the store in Brooklyn during their Knot sample sale so we were able to take advantage of the discount on hairpieces plus an additional 10% off from the Knot. They had a small table with items under $100 that didn’t match my dress so I started trying on combs and didn’t like them and just tried on a headband and loved the look. I narrowed it down to 3 pieces and ended up with one that I loved…and although it was more than I originally wanted to spend, it was worth it in the end. I brought the hairpiece back to the store the week of the wedding and they steamed it for me so it would shine in the pictures.

Shoes – Nina A
I designed my own shoes on the Nina Shoes website to match the BM dresses in Cornflower blue and I added a few white rhinestones. They came rather quickly and I loved them as soon as I opened the box…. And to top it off they were a perfect match to the BM’s dresses! The 2-½ inch heels were VERY COMFORTABLE and I didn’t take off my shoes until we got back to the hotel after the reception was over.



Invitations – A-
I went to many invitation stores and reached out to a few independent places in Long Island and Brooklyn for pocket invitations and I couldn’t find anything that I liked. I knew about T and loved her work. When I first got engaged I fell in love with one of her snowflake invitations on her website and decided I wanted them, but when the time came for me to start looking at invitations, I was hesitant about her ala carte prices and the timing of the long wait list. I figured since it was so early I had nothing to lose by having her make a design for me and take it from there. It took a few weeks for get my designs by email and then my proof came 12 weeks after my first email with my invitation request and idea form because there were a few people ahead of me. There were some delays in receiving it and I think she had the wrong postage on the original package, but I finally was able to touch and feel the invitation and see the price quote and contract. I was in love!!! I sent back the contract and materials fee with my changes to the invitation and inserts to her the next day so I could be placed on the rush bump up list. The date she provided (Oct15-Oct25) for when I would receive the invitations on the contract was after the date I wanted to mail them out to everyone so I definitely wanted to get them earlier (Sept 15-Sept25) and didn’t mind paying the extra fee thinking it would get them to me faster --- turns out that it didn’t even matter. By the time she got to me on the print list and sent me the final proofs it was pretty much the date I wanted the invites to me by! I received my final proofs email on September 12th and fixed the direction cards one last time because my handwriting was probably too sloppy for her to read (understandable). I sent my approval for the corrections that day along with the complete address list to print the outer and inner envelopes and I was moved into production. I figured I would have these babies by October 1st, however I spend two weeks at 95% complete and then was told she had to print the envelopes when I finally emailed to ask her why I was delayed and other brides were skipping me and being completed (with earlier dates than mine!). I got the email they were finished on Thursday, October 7th and finally had them in my hands by October 11th. We worked hard that weekend to assemble them and we sent them out on time. It was a stressful few weeks waiting and waiting for them to come, but it was well worth it in the end!!! I’m still getting compliments on the invitations and people keep asking where I got them so they can get their invites from her as well. My only advice is if you want to use them, make sure you start early!!!!

I also ended up ordering my table numbers, place cards, favor tags and menus so everything would match. This was an easy process; however I did not receive everything until the Monday before the wedding and thankfully my DOCs put the favor tags on my bags for me during the reception because I had to drop them off that Sunday. They were beautiful and really were a nice touch for the day, but I really wish we could get them earlier!!





Photographer – Glenmar A
As soon as I walked into Glenmar’s studio in February 2011, I knew that I wanted to have them as my photographer!! My mom’s friends use them for all of their photographer needs and recommended I check them out. I met with Joey and looked through some books and chatted and she showed me John’s album and knew he was the one. I loved his style and he captured all the pictures that I found and liked when I was looking at pictures early in the planning process. I booked them on the spot and felt confident I was in good hands. I called them back in September to schedule our free engagement pic shoot and went to take our pictures in October with Joey in a park near their studio. I got the proof CD back within a week and loved all of the pics and had a hard time picking out 50 for the printed proofs!!!

I met Joey a few weeks before to give her the must take list with our final payment and discussed the final details. Everything went smoothly the day of and they made sure they took all the big family pics and the must take pictures that day. John came to the hotel while I was getting ready and Joey went to my DH’s house to take shots of the GM… boy did she have her hands full! Both photographers were always around and taking shots throughout the day… even of things I didn’t even think of. I got a call a week and a half after the wedding saying the proofs were ready and went in after my HM to pick up the 6 very large boxes of pictures… we are still going through them trying to narrow down what ones to pick for the parents album and our album because there are way too many good pictures.

Videographer – Glenmar Pending
I will add my review of the videographer once I get my video back.

Limos – Camelot A
Joe from Camelot was great. We went to a few other limo places before checking out Joe’s cars. Royalty was very rude and made us wait even though we had an appointment. Then they were going to charge us for a pick up in Suffolk because the wedding was in Nassau!!! Crazy!! Once we met Joe we knew we were in good hands and we saw the cars and ended up booking the Infiniti SUV Limo, even though my DH had his heart set on the Escalade because it was so nice. We got a Lincoln 9 passenger limo to take the BM to the church, a Rolls Royce Princess for me and my dad/DH and then the 21 passenger Infiniti SUV for the BP. Def check out Joe and he will work with your pricing! He was on time and no problems, other than the fact that the Infiniti was a little tight on room since everyone had bags and coats and no room in the trunk going to the RH with 12 BP and 4 parents.

Makeup --- About Face Artistry (Stacy Doolan) A
Stacy is amazing!!! I went for 4 other trials before I found her and I used her for my engagement pictures because my friend recommended her. She nailed my look by asking a few simple questions and the traditional makeup lasted all day long. I knew after I saw my epics that I needed to use Stacy for my wedding and I booked her immediately. On the day of my wedding, she came to the hotel with all of her makeup cases, her chair and extra lights. She did makeup for me, my BMs and my mom…some did airbrush (which is same price as traditional) and some did traditional and we all got lashes. We looked flawless and the makeup stayed on from early in the morning until 3am when the after party died down and the lashes stayed put and looked awesome!! I will definitely be using Stacy for all of my makeup needs in the future!!!


Hair Anthony DeFranco Salon A++
I have very curly hair and find it hard to find someone who knows how to work with the curls!! I am from Bklyn and my curly hair girl was charging $250pp to travel and I couldn’t ask my girls to pay that. I went for a few trials and they kept falling down and didn’t last. I found Carly at Anthony DeFranco from another bride on LIW who has curls and has been going to her for years. I went to her for a cut and fell in love with her. I did a trial with her and knew instantly she would be doing my hair for my wedding. I made appts for myself, 4 of my bms and my mom with different people so we would all be done at the same time and it wouldn’t have to take forever.

For Black Friday this year, they had a gift card sale and gave 20% of the gift card value as a bonus to any gift card that was purchased that day. I bought a gift card that day so instead of having to pay $100 for their hair, my girls only had to pay $80! I called to make sure we could use the card, and they had no problem with it. Awesome!!!

When we arrived, we were greeted by our bridal attendant (at no extra cost!) who showed us to our own private area in the back of the salon where we would be getting our hair done together and were given mimosas and mini muffins and bagels to enjoy while we go ready. The bridal attendant walked around to make sure everyone was happy and continued to fill up our glasses all morning and even took pictures for us. The service was amazing and everyone’s hair came out fantastic!! One of my BM is getting married in July and she is going to have the girl whom did her hair come to her hotel in the city when she gets married. I highly recommend them!!!!

Flowers – Flowers by Brian A
Flowers by Brian were amazing. The flowers were huge and gorgeous!! I originally booked with a consultant that left last year and gave him all of my ideas and inspiration. I found out he left through LIW and called them to make sure everything was OK. They assured me my contract would be fine and they would contact me a month before the wedding. I was nervous with the turnover, but when I went to the flower sample meeting I realized it was over nothing. I had an appt with Michele to discuss final details and I didn’t know if they would build the sample from scratch when I got there or what. When I arrived, they took me into the back room and my samples were waiting for me and they were exactly what I wanted! I was so relieved. I asked that they add a few more crystals to the high centerpiece and it was no problem. Next we went over flowers for the bouquets and boutonnières and it was very smooth. I went in the day before the wedding with my final payment and to inspect the bouquets, which were perfect. My bouquet was very full and BIG!!! The MOH’s bouquet was perfect with the accents of blue and then I asked if they would put in crystals that I ordered from weddingfacotry direct and they had no issues with that at all. The next day Warren from FBB delivered the bouquets to the hotel where we were getting ready and sent a vase for pictures as well. Later that day, Warren was at the RH setting up the cake. I originally asked for flowers on the bottom of the cake since I was adding snowflakes to the cake; I thought that it would be too much and not match. There was a crack in my cake and Warren didn’t like the way the cake looked and couldn’t leave it without fixing so he adding flowers to the cake to make it look like snow and added the snowflakes all over and it looked amazing!! I have to thank him for the way my cake looked, because without him it would have been very plain and boring!!!!



Flower Crystals – Wedding Factory Direct B+
I decided to order crystals for the MOH bouquet and a butterfly for my SIL’s bouquet and my MIL’s corsage since they love butterflies a few weeks before the wedding. I ordered them and the price was reasonable, but I think I may have been able to do a little letter if I
looked around because the shipping costs really added to the total price. The quality was good and they looked pretty in the flowers.

Dance Lessons – Ballroom Dance Long Island A
I called John from Ballroom Dance Long Island a little over a month before the wedding and we decided to meet him for the first lesson. My DH knows how to dance but I felt nervous about the first dance and wanted to make sure we were in sync and not just moving back and forth in the middle of the floor. John took our song and worked with us to choreograph the steps so we looked natural on the dance floor and helped us add some turns and dips that look great and he even taught us a lift that we decided not to do because we were afraid DH would rip my gown! John is very patient and easy to work with and can work with all dance levels. He made it fun to dance and my DH even wanted to go home to practice after our lessons to make sure we were getting it right. Without John, I know that our first dance with our random turns and ‘dips’ would have been a mess! I’m so happy we went to him!


Registry –
Bed, Bath & Beyond – A+
We went to register in BBB in Westbury and the associate was super helpful in explaining how to use the guns and what we should register for, plus she spent a lot of time with us with the china and silverware, then when we were comfortable we went off on our own. I compared prices all over and BBB has the best prices and you get the 20% coupon in addition to that. Plus if you get duplicates, you are able to return them to the store for cash with no hassle. BBB was definitely the most reliable store we registered with!

Macys - B
Macy’s has reasonable prices when people buy things on sale (which everyone knows and does), however their backorder policy is horrible!!! My china is not old and is not being discontinued, but things were constantly backordered and then shipped later. I didn’t get a lot at my eparty or my shower because of Macy’s stocking issues and they were shipped to me after the fact. I had a Waterford vegetable bowl and my Waterford silverware that was backordered 3 times until Macys cancelled it and didn’t inform the people who purchased it for me so I had to deal with the awkward situation of telling them the present they bought for me isn’t coming and can you go get me something else… plus they didn’t add it back to the registry so no one knew to reorder it again. Their prices are still not as cheap as BBB but it was a good place to register for towels and other kitchen things.

Pampered Chef – B
There was nothing spectacular about this registry and most people didn’t shop here because things are expensive and you don’t get many perks by registering with them.


Day of Hotel – Huntington Hilton A
I stayed at the Huntington Hilton for another wedding and thought that it was very convenient. There were a few hotels down the road from WCC but I hated the Fox Hollow Inn and didn’t want to stay at the Best Western or the Executive Inn. The Hilton offered a reasonable rate and had a pool, full gym, bar that was open until 2am, restaurants for dinner and breakfast and room service and was 15 minutes away from the RH. We toured the rooms and knew we would be getting ready there for the wedding and thought that their normal suite was too small, so they suggested the Presidential Suite. The room had a “parlor” with long dining room table and a small area for food (not a large fridge but mini fridge) and a bathroom and a bed, and was attached to two separate bedrooms with their own baths and closets and pull out couches. It was perfect for what we needed since I had 6 girls plus myself getting dressed there and we did makeup there too. I organized a brunch the next morning, which was great for the guests, and we all met in the Watercolors restaurant in the atrium and everyone got together for a fun morning to recap the wedding. Annette at the hotel was doll to work with in organizing all the rooms we had and was very helpful. I definitely recommend this hotel for any wedding. They have a shuttle van that is available for guests for any destination within a mile from the hotel for free so we used it for dinner the night before the wedding. They offer the van as a wedding shuttle for an extra fee, but it only seats 12 people and was too small for our party of 70 guests staying at the hotel.

Hotel Shuttle – TranStar Executive A
I got a quote from Mary on LIW and gave her a call to discuss the shuttle bus. She was very friendly and easy to work with and I reserved the hotel shuttle over the phone. I booked the 32 passenger mini bus from 5:45pm-1:45am to take guests from the hotel (2 trips) and back again and the driver was on call all evening for anyone who wanted to leave the party early. They also offered the Bride & Groom a complimentary town car ride anywhere within 30 miles; all you have to do is tip the driver. We ended up using it that night for DH and me since I couldn’t really climb into the shuttle with my big wedding dress on… plus it was nice to have the extra trunk space to take some stuff back to the hotel that we used towards the end of the night before Cheeky Glam left.


Photobooth – Modern Photobooth Inc A
I wanted a photobooth and didn’t want to go crazy with the props and pay too much since I was already doing favors. I found a Modern Photobooth through Cheeky Glam and I’m so happy I booked with them. Kevin was awesome and easy to deal with and was able to use my logo I created at the bottom of the pictures. The photobooth printed unlimited 4x6 pictures with 4 prints on each and came with a guestbook. The staff attending the booth was great and helped everyone work the booth and sign the book easily. I made our own props and it was a huge hit and the pics are hysterical to look at!

Groom’s Cake Bakery – The Cake Gallery A
Tom from the Cake Gallery was very easy to deal with. I emailed him a few shots of cakes that I liked for the Jet’s Helmet cake I wanted to surprise my DH with. He got back to me with pricing and options of how to make the cake cheaper. I called him and ended up with a 50-person cake with strawberry shortcake in the middle with fondant on the outside since that was the best for the type of shape I was ordering. I left a deposit and paid the remaining balance a few days before the wedding. I went in to his shop to explain that the Cheeky Glam DOCs were picking up the cake for me on Saturday and I was very impressed with his work. The cake came out amazing and my FH was shocked when we presented it to him and the wedding before the toasts. My only complaint is that they don’t offer affordable delivery service for the cake, but I was able to figure out how to get the cake to the RH with no problems.



Live Event Artist – Dan Angeli Captured on Canvas A
My cousin had an artist at her wedding a few years ago and I always knew I wanted to spend the money to have this at my wedding. I was unable to get in touch with her artist, but I was lucky enough to find Dan at a Bridal Expo last year. I reached out to him and reviewed his pricing options for the various canvas sizes he offered and booked with him. We met a month before the wedding to discuss my vision and what colors and details I wanted included. He showed up 2 hours before the party to set up and get started. He painted throughout the evening and guests enjoyed watching his canvas come to life and evolve as he added more and more. He took pictures throughout the evening on his camera to make sure he was capturing everything correctly. He put the finishing touches on the painting back at the studio to make sure the coloring was correct and it was ready while I was on my HM. The finished product was more than I imagined it could be and I’m so happy that I have this piece of art to hang in my home to remind me of this day forever.




Various DIY Projects

Favors DIY A for idea, DIY B for execution
• To Go Coffee Mugs – Bed Bath and Beyond
• Mini Baileys bottles – Local liquor store
• Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Cocoa Packets
• 4x6 photo frame for photo booth pics – Christmas Tree Shops
• Shopping bags – Uline.com

This was a painful DIY project because we had to take off two stickers on each cup that were in boxes and then wash all of the 225 cups and then stuff them with hot chocolate and baileys and wrap them in cellophane and then put them in the shopping bags. I loved the idea because it went well with the winter wonderland theme, but in the end would have paid to have someone make these for me!!!!!!!! I underestimated the time and pain of washing and wrapping 250 cups, so definitely think twice when picking your favors!

Cake topper DIY A
I ordered a snowflake ornament from bronners.com and used glue to stick a metal stick to the back of it to slide into my cake. I had a hard time finding a stick that was strong enough, but I used on from the flower jewels I ordered for my MIL’s corsage and it was perfect!!

Card Box – DIA A
I ordered the paper mache boxes from Consumer Crafts.com. One of the boxes was dented when I received it in the mail, so I called them and explained the situation and they happily sent me a new set of boxes… so I had a few to play with before we did the real one. We bought satin material from the craft store and used Crafter’s Pick Jewel Bond to attach material and crystals to the box. It was difficult to get the material to be tight, but once in place, the glue lasted.

Programs – DIY A
I used MS Publisher to create the file for the programs and printed them on Pearl 80# Metallic Paper from paperandmore. 100 Sheets for $19.99 and they shipped immediately!! I ordered 2 packs and they came the next day. The paper was really pretty and I used it for the other signs I did for the Signature Drinks and I Spy frames as well.


Hotel OOT Boxes DIY B+
We ordered 10x7x8 gable boxes from Uline and they were HUGE!!! We filled them up with some notes, shuttle bus info, an invitation to brunch the next morning, pre-paid brunch vouchers, water bottles and snacks for the hotel guests and put everyone’s name on it since we didn’t have the rooms assigned yet. This way if there were more than 2 people in a room we gave them enough water and snacks. The problem with the boxes is they were very heavy and transporting them in boxes or bins was not an option. We had to carry them into the car and then brought them into the hotel on a dolly with the help of a bellhop.

Honeymoon – Hawaii
Alaska Airlines – 2 for 1 certificate with credit card for our first class tickets. B
I knew that I wouldn’t fly 12 hours in coach and I was lucky enough to take advantage of the 2 for 1 deal so we didn’t have to pay too much for the airfare. The food was good and the staff on the plane was nice, however we had to pay $50 for my suitcase because I was a little over and even though we get two free checked bags, they refused to grant me an exception and wouldn’t let me speak to a manager about it. It was very frustrating, but I ended up buying another bag in Hawaii so we didn’t have to worry about getting into a fight again at the airport. Alaska Airlines flies out of Newark to Honolulu though Seattle and does not have a first class lounge that you would be able to enjoy while waiting for the flight in Newark or Honolulu which is annoying because when you spend all that money you want to enjoy the perks that usually come along with the first class service!!

Hotel – Turtle Bay Resort Beach Cottage A
We stayed at the Turtle Bay resort from Monday-Saturday and did not want to leave. It was an hour outside of Honolulu but was away from the hustle and bustle of the city, which was exactly what we were looking for after planning the wedding. This is the same hotel that was used in Saving Sarah Marshall and our room was identical to the rooms in the movie. Our cottage was a few feet from the ocean and the views were amazing from the lanai. We ordered room service for breakfast and ate outside watching the waves crash and would go back at night to watch the surfers go at the huge waves while the sun set. The hotel wasn’t crowded and had a nice selection of restaurants to eat it, although they were expensive. I’d stay away from the Italian one, but the steak house and the restaurant on the beach were really nice. The beach was calm and we did a little snorkeling off the shore, which was included in the resort fee. The pool was nice in the afternoon and they even had a waterslide. Definitely would love to go back here!

NCL Price of America Cruise A
I’m not usually a fan of NCL cruises and typically look to take Celebrity or Royal Caribbean when I go on vacation, but NCL is the only cruise line to offer a 7 day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. This ship is dedicated to America and as part of the agreement for being allowed to operate in Hawaii; it is only allowed to hire American workers. It is a gorgeous ship and I really appreciated all of the history on the boat and the service was spectacular. The boat sailed from Honolulu and stopped in Maui for two nights, then went to Hilo, Kona and then Kauai for another two nights. It was a great relaxing way to see the islands!! My DH didn’t wear pants the whole trip since it was free style dining and we enjoyed dinner in the specialty steak house two nights and the specialty hibachi restaurant another night. They also have a diner on board similar to Johnny Rockets and they serve appetizers (mozz sticks, potato skins, etc), sandwiches, burgers and they have great ice cream shakes for about $3 that is very big and filling! I think that this is a higher end NCL cruise and we don’t have any complaints about it, other than the food was just OK, which is why we ate dinner in the specialty restaurants a few nights.

Fake wedding rings for the honeymoon - OVERSTOCK.com A
We got two silver wedding bands for a great price and fast shipping!!! So happy we got these so we didn’t get sun tan lotion and sand all over the real rings!!!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Thank you for sharing! I loved the canvas!! Great review...

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Great Review....I am sooo sorry to hear about LI Sound. I booked with them...and CHRIS as my MC as well....SO I am now terrified after reading your review. Can you FM and let me know the name of the MC you wound up getting....this way...when I go for my final meeting with them I can discuss possible back up MC's. Your wedding still looked amazing....and I am sure all in all it was a night to remember! Congrats

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Great review! I'm sorry you had such problems with your DJ but your pics look fantastic. I'm also going to look into the live painter, love that unique spin - could you tell me what his price range was like?

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congrats!!!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congrats

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Everything sounded beautiful. Congrats!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congrats!! Sorry about your DJ. Great Review!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congrats on your wedding. Love your jewelry it was beautiful. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your table numbers, place cards, menus and invitations! I am having a snowflake themed wedding and hope to be able to find them in black/silver. So sorry about the MC problems, loved the canvas! Everything looked beautiful and I hope aside from the MC you and your husband enjoyed your wedding day.

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congrats...everything looked beautiful!!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congrats!!!!!!! Everything looked so nice!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congratulations. Everything looked wonderful

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Great review! Congrats!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Great review!!!
But everything else looked beautiful!! I especially love your dress!! (We are dress twins! ) I know what you mean about the bustle they took forever at my first fitting trying to figure out how to do it! lol

Two more things. 1. that canvas painting is AWESOME and I love the idea of him working on it during the reception and people geting to watch him work! If I knew about it sooner I might make room in the budget for it. 2. I just booked with Cheeky Glam and they totally heard the batteries story!! lol! Glad you had a great experience with them!!!

Congratulations!!!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

wow! sounds like you had an amazing day! congrats on being a Mrs.!!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Thanks for sharing!! Congrats!!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Great review! Thanks

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Congrats!! Loved your review of Cheeky Glam
Love the grooms cake- I'm a huge jets fan

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Absolutely love your review!! What is the name of the place where you ordered your invitations?? Having such a hard time with pocket invitations!

Re: My Winter Wonderland Review!1 Jan 28th at WCC with Cheeky Glam, Glenmar, FBB and lots more!!

Wonderful review!!!!! Glad Cheeky was so helpful to you! Congrats!!!